Natural Beauty

    Northern Ireland is full of natural beauty, rich history, and pleasant people. After spending a weekend here, I was filled with emotions and unforgettable memories of the sites I visited and the people I talked to. I enjoyed a tour around Belfast, saw the coastal villages, and heard about the history of “The Troubles” that happened not too long ago.

(Giant's Causeway)

    My journey began in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. This city is steeped in history, from being the linen capital of the world in the late 19th century to the home of the Titanic. The Titanic Museum is one of the main tourist attractions for Belfast as it is located in the birthplace of the Titanic. The museum shows the history of Belfast as the linen capital during the Industrial Revolution and how it slowly changed to ship making. Next, you see the design for the Titanic and read stories about those who worked on and traveled on the cruise liner. You hear the many horror stories from those who survived the Titanic's tragic end and how this tragedy led the way for many sea vessel rules that are still in place to this day to prevent an event like that from ever happening again. Overall, this Titanic exhibition was beautifully tragic. This set the tone for the trip and showed me how beautiful events and cities could endure huge tragedy's that will shape its future.
 

(City Hall, Belfast)

    An example of hope after a tragedy can come just by walking the streets of Belfast, seeing all of the shops and people enjoying their day, and then hearing about "The Troubles", which lasted for decades and only ended 25 years ago. “The Troubles” was a period of intense conflict between Catholic nationalists and Protestant unionists. Thousands of people lost their lives during the conflict and many more are still haunted by this experience. The story of The Troubles is complex and one that I urge you to research on your own, but it is a good reminder that there can be hope after tragedy. A quote I saw painted on a wall in Belfast says it best, "A nation that keeps one eye on the past is wise. A nation that keeps two eyes on the past is blind".

(Cushendun Caves)

    The second part of my journey was exploring the coastal villages and seeing some unexpected sites. My group spent the day on a bus traveling between different coastal villages and stopping from place to place to take photos, see the sites, and learn their history. Along the way, I learned about the different folktales, castles, caves, cliffs, people, history, and the TV series Game of Thrones. That last bit came as a surprise and took up half of the tour as we got the see where several of the hit TV show was shot and how it brought tourism into these areas. Some places such as the Dark Hedges, Cushendun Caves, Carnlough Harbour, and Larrybane Quarry were all places that were used as backdrops for the show.
    

(Nuala with the Hula)

    While I am a fan of Game of Thrones and was amazed to see different sets from the show, my favorite parts of the trip were experiencing the natural cliffs, caves, valleys, and sea. These landscapes left me in awe of their beauty and showed how truly remarkable nature can be while changing over the centuries. Seeing the seawater crash against boulders and lush green cliffs rise and fall is something that words can’t really do justice. Taking the time to just be still and experience the world around me was one of the most important memories I made on this trip and something I will take with me for a long time. There is so much Northern Ireland has to offer that no one trip can’t fully allow you to experience everything.